Nascar Racing Online

Archive for the ‘Ranting and Raving’ Category

Hi folks!
These last two weeks have been a madhouse (sadly, not Bowman-Gray) for me. I got called to Portland, Oregon for a consulting gig last week and then while I was there I got a call from a lovely lady named Sheryl who is the founder of  the Helle Nice Foundation. Helle Nice was a French female race car driver in the 1930’s who came over and hit a circuit of race tracks. The Foundation found me and needed emergency research on the tracks that she had raced at during her stay in the good old United States. They were almost all fairground dirt tracks, with a board track thrown in there too. 

My knowledge of the European traditions that inspired early American racing is more attuned to the beginnings of stock car traditions, but I do know my tracks and was able to help out. Before I write my little piece for tonight, I want to give you a few websites. Here is the Helle Nice Foundation; they are laying a memorial marker at Helle’s unmarked grave this weekend in France. And boy, friends, do I wish I could go too! 

Here are some of the folks that helped me out a whole bunch with last minute research. They have some great forums to dig through! Go say hi! 3WidePIctureVault  and the folks over at LocalRaceChat  Actually, I have loads of links to people if anyone is interested. 

Let’s talk a little bit about Georgia and a little bit of a different kind of heritage, shall we?

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Boris Said has been teaching short track kids how to turn right for over a decade. 

Until Sunday, Boris had only one touring series win ever,  the 1998 Craftsman Truck series race at Sonoma.  That year was also the last time Boris Said was an actual full time driver in any NASCAR series. 

Boris has 11 years of Cup Series expirence, but has never driven more than 9 races in a single year.  But that doesn’t mean that Boris is not a great driver. He’s just better known as a Road Course ringer than a full time driver.

Hundreds have received lessons in road racing from Boris Said. It was time for the master to show them how it’s done. After Marcos Ambrose yet again suffered heartbreak in Canada, this time thanks to an electrical problem, it seemed that this was going to come down to Carl Edwards and Robby Gordon.

Jacques Villeneuve and Max Papis looked to challenge the two Cup regulars, but both road ringers were having problems keeping up. Montreal would not allow Edwards to win back to back.  A track bar broke on the no. 60 Ford.  Once it broke, the rear tires began to shift violently in the rear of the car.  Edwards went into the pits, lost a lap and when all was said and done, Edwards was 4 laps down. 

He managed to finish the race, but his 20th place finish put his championship hopes further out of reach. 

Then there was Robby Gordon. Gordon started alongside Max Papis with just 7 to go.  As they hit the turn, Gordon ran Papis right into the grass. This is a move that Mr. Gordon has used to great avail many times in the past. But Papis didn’t relent, he drove through the grass and right back into the path of Gordon. Due to the move, Jason Leffler was hit by teammate Jacques Villeneuve, and Colin Braun was collected.

Caution. 

Gordon was now running low on gas, but felt he could make it.  That was until Trevor Bayne got into J.R. Fitzpatrick and Jason Leffler blew up, causing a red flag. You could make the case that Gordon’s move caused both accidents, since Leffler blew because of the damage he took in that wreck. 

The incident would be Gordon’s undoing.  When the feild got back under way, Gordon ran out of gas.  He would finish 14th, two laps down. Ambrose just may have smiled.

That set up a wild finish that saw Boris Said in the Zaxby’s Ford battling with Max Papis in the Rheem Chevy, and Jacques Villeneuve in the Dollar General Toyota.  Boris and Papis would battle side by side to the flag, where Boris would out run Papis by a fender. 

Something the ESPN announce team failed to tell you was that not only was it Boris Said’s first Nationwide victory, but it was also RAB Racing’s first ever Nascar Victory.  The 09 has never won in 53 starts. 

I loved this race, but ESPN let me down big.  They talked to Papis, who was great as always, and Villeneuve, then gave a very weak interview with Boris Said before cutting to basketball.  Not to mention the very weak qualifing coverage.  There was no more then 6 cars on track at the same time during qualifing, yet ESPN failed to show every driver making a lap.  When Papis and Ambrose were out there, we didn’t even see Keselowski or Logano make a run.  Of the 46 cars making a lap, we saw maybe 20 of them.  It was incredibly biased and quite dissapointing.  They failed to talk about the fact that some of these guys had to race in on time, and even failed to tell us who failed to qualify.  I had to go online just to see that Stanton Barrett, Kevin O’Connell and Canada’s own Pierre Bourque failed to make the race.  What a joke.  Bad broadcasting failed to take away from a one of a kind race though.

Results and more after the JUMP!

Keselowski had one of the hardest fought top 5’s I’ve seen all year.  There was nothing left of Keso’s car when he crossed the line, and I’m pretty sure if they would of had one more lap, that car would have fallen apart.  The 2011 debut of Andrew Ranger and Justin Marks was rather uneventful.  Both were out before lap 14. 

The race for the top 30 got a bit more interesting.  With Boris Said winning, that propelled the RAB Ford from 28th up to 24th in owner points.  A bad day by both the 35 and 81 kept Keller in and McDowell out.  Here’s how they stack up:

That’s all for this week.  Join us next week when the Nationwide Boys head to Atlanta for the Great Clips 300.  Enjoy!

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This week the Nationwide Series heads North to Montreal.  This is one of the dates that I have circled on my Nationwide Schedule.  It does happen to be funny that the series that actually goes outside of the US is called Nationwide and the Sprint Cup drivers never go north or south of US borders.  The Montreal race does offer Canadian Drivers a chance to be seen on the big screen in America.  I’ll get to our Canadian Brothers after the jump.  This race, now in it’s 4th year running, has only once been won by a Canadian driver.  Ron Fellows took it in 2008. Carl Edwards is the defending champion of this race.  It’s road course racing at it’s best.

Entry List and more after the JUMP!

Canadian Patrick Carpenter will attempt to qualify the 00 for Michael Waltrip Racing. 

Victor Gonzales returns to the 05 this week.

Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick returns to the 7 this week.

Robby Gordon will be making his first Nationwide Attempt of 2010 in the 07 Chevy.

Boris Said returns to the 09 this week.

Alex Kennedy returns to the 23 this week.

Canadian D. J. Kennington will try to qualify Eric McClure’s 24 Ford this week.  Kennington drove last year for the 81 team in 6 races.  His one race for Specialty Racing last year was here at Montreal where he crashed out of the event.

Parker Kligerman will race Brian Keselowski’s 26 this week.

I’ve very excited about this one, It’s the return of two time Canadian Tire Champion Andrew Ranger.  We have all seen Ranger’s Tide/Walmart 27 car on the side of Nascar R&R.  Ranger drove at Montreal last year in the 11 Toyota and finished 3rd.  He drove for the now defunct FitzBradshaw racing in 2008, where he made 5 starts with a best finish of 19th at Bristol.  Ranger will be driving in the Baker Curb #27 DODGE. Meaning that Ranger will not only take his Canadian Tire Number to Nationwide, he will also take his Manufacturer.  Keep an eye on Ranger this week.  He could wind up taking this one.

Kevin O’Connell will make his first attempt in the 31 this year.  O’Connell raced at Elkhart Lake earlier this year for Baker Curb but blew and engine.

Canada’s best chance at a victory this week is Jacques Villeneuve.  He returns to the 32 this week. 

Italy’s Max Papis will drive Kevin Harvick’s 33 Chevy this week.  Papis has a great chance of showing that he belongs in Nascar with a good run here.

Tony Ave returns to the 35 this week.

Stanton Barrett returns to the 41 this week.

Currently 7th in ARCA points, driver Justin Marks will make his first 2010 Attempt in the Baker Curb 43 Ford. Marks raced in 5 races last year for Braun Racing’s 10 Toyota but didn’t fare to well. 

Marcos Ambrose will return to the track this week in the 47 Toyota.  I know I said that Watkins Glen was Ambrose’s final race for JTG Daugherty in the Nationwide Series, but they made a liar out of me.  Ambrose will run Little Debbie colors this week.

Joey Scarallo will make his 3rd attempt in Nationwide as he returns to the 52 Chevy this week.

Kyle Kelley returns with his 59 team this week.

Canada’s own Pierre Bourque will make his first ever attempt at a Nationwide Race in the 61 Ford.  Bourque is currently 11th in the Canadian Tire Point Standings.

2009 Trans Am Champion and current SCCA driver Tomy Drissi will make his first ever NASCAR attempt this week.  Drissi will drive a second MacDonald Motorsports entry this week.  Drissi owns an advertising firm that makes movie displays for Cinemas.  That may be why Wall Street: The Movie is the sponsor of the 82.

Currently 3rd in the K&N Pro Series Points, Paulie Harraka will make his first ever Nationwide race this week as he drives for Joe Nemechek in the 87 Chevy.  Harraka has 3 wins in the K&N series, so don’t count him out just because he’s in the NEMCO Chevy.

Canada’s Ron Fellows, the guy who won this race two years ago, will be in the Canadian Tire 88 Chevy for JR Motorsports.  Fellows finished 2nd at Watkins Glen, 6th at Elkhart Lake, both in the 88.  Fellows is not one to count out of this one.  Ron has 4 career Nationwide wins.

Brett Rowe will pilot the 89 this week, as Morgan Shepherd is in the 21 this week.

With Harraka in the 87, Joe Nemechek will drive a second NEMCO Chevy this week.  The 97. If Jeff Green makes it in on time, Joe Nemechek would be able to use a Past Champions Provisional if Joe can’t qualify on time.

Wow, I’m outta breath.  That was a lot of different drivers this week.  This is your last chance to see great Road Course Racing this year, so don’t miss it.  Tune in Sunday at 2pm eastern to ESPN2 for the Napa Auto Parts 200 from Montreal, Quebec, Canada and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.  Enjoy!

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It took Kyle Busch 28 starts in 2008 to tie a single season record for wins in the Nationwide Series with 10.  Sam Ard is the other driver to do that feat.  In 2010 it only took 20 races for Kyle to tie his and Sam Ard’s record.  That leaves another 12 starts for Kyle to try and break the record. 

Busch fought hard to secure his second win of the week at Bristol and ended up sweeping the weekend. There is no doubt that Busch is making a case for himself as best Short Track Racer alive today today. Love him or hate him, Busch commands respect.  He may lack the stoic poise that we come to expect from a champion, but there is no doubt that he is one of the top 5 racers of this generation.

Kyle could very well be the first in a new line of NASCAR Champions. The type that ooze personality and refuse to fit into the cookie cutter mold of Champ.  But lets not forget, Dale Earnhardt wasn’t your average champ. Nor was Jeff Gordon or Darrell Waltrip. They were all outspoken and often disliked. That’s not even mentioning their shared ‘Move of get Moved’ mentality of racing.

But this article isn’t about what Kyle may be able to do. It’s about what Kyle did on Friday at Bristol. It was a wild race, fitting of the Bristol name.  Although it didn’t always seem that way.

It appeared that everyone was going to behave up until lap 84. That’s when Kasey Kahne, Justin Allgaier and Trevor Bayne decided to take it three-wide into turn three. Robert Richardson was slow in the high lane, when Allgaier checked up into the side of Kasey Kahne.  Both hit the wall and Kahne rode the wall.  Kasey’s day was done, but Allgaier’s was far from over.  With 93 laps to go, Lap traffic almost ended Clint Bowyer’s day as Sean Caisse and Joe Nemechek spun together. 

I agree with everything ESPN had to say on Friday evening up until a certain point. They claim that Mike Wallace “Checked up” and clipped Bowyer’s front end, sending Wallace into Caisse and Nemechek. I say that Clint checked and spun Wallace.

If Wallace checked, he would have bounced off the wall and Bowyer would have drove right by him. That didn’t happen. What did happen was that Wallace was running his line and Bowyer tried to tuck under him and misjudged the amount of room. Bowyer turned Wallace, but not intentionally.  It’s possible that Wallace slowed and that’s why Bowyer clipped him, but ESPN seemed to either miss this point or discarded it entirely.

With 60 laps to go Justin Allgaier got wide and T-Boned Josh Wise. Allgaier would eventually have to take his Verizon entry to the garage.

With 32 to go, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch were battling for the lead. Busch completed the pass low, then tried to cut in front of Keselowski. Kyle got wide and let out of the throttle. Brad never was able to ‘whoa’ the car down completely.  Kesolowski could have let of the gas and they both could have continued.

But instead, Busch got hit and he brushed the outside wall. He came back down and spun Kesolowski to the inside.  Now, Brad didn’t deserve that for what he did to Kyle, but Kesolowski has made several enemies and made a lot of mental errors since beginning his NASCAR career. Perhaps this was mere karma.

With 25 to go, Joey Logano got a bad restart and the field gobbled him up. He almost took Dale Jr with him, but instead got turned by Jason Leffler. Not Jason’s fault, since Logano was three-wide by himself.  Joey spun and the field bunched up behind him. Reed Sorenson, Paul Menard, Steve Wallace, Michael Annett, Bowyer, and Keselowski were all tangled up. The latter had considerable damage to his rear but was able to finish the race in 14th.

With 15 to go, Brian Scott and Brendon Gaughan were victims of a bad check up from Reed Sorenson.  This set up a great 10 lap shootout for the win, in which the damaged no. 18 Toyota was able to dominate

Race Results and more after the JUMP!

I know that there is no way that so many guys had brake problems.  The 36, 26, 91, 90, 73, and 0 all start and parked.  It’s sad when you think about the fact that McClure, Morgan Shepherd, and Ryan Hackett would have tried to finish the race.

We found out that as long as Nascar doesn’t try to limit the amount of Cup guys in the Nationwide Series that Carl Edwards will attempt to run the full season in 2011.

Robby Gordon has announced that he will attempt the Montreal Race and K&N pro series driver Paul Harraka will drive Joe Nemechek’s 87 Chevy at Montreal.  Why am I talking about Montreal? Because next week the Nationwide Drivers will head to our Northern Neighbors for the NAPA Auto Parts 250 from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.  This is another great chance to see some awesome Road Course racing.  Expect to see some of our Road Ringers out there again.  I really hope that eventually we get to see a Cup race up in Canada.  Check back later in the week for a Preview of the Napa Auto Parts 250.

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“Busch took advantage of Brad being on probation and wrecked him. It isn’t fair!”

That is how the pro-Brad Keselowski – or rather, the anti-Kyle Busch sect of NASCAR fans has expressed it’s displeasure with the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s method of winning Friday night’s Food City 250 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. In their view, Busch, knowing full and well that Keselowski would be unable to pay back Busch’s “dump and run” without risking NASCAR sanction, exploited Keselowski’s plight and sent the Penske Racing Dodge for a ride.

First of all, to think that – on a track where laps are turned at a 16-second clip, or faster - Busch had enough time to process that thought and act upon it as quickly as the entire situation on lap 219 played out is ludicrous.

Second of all, even if he had, it is a situation Keselowski created for himself.

Over the last three months of the 2009 season, Brad Keselowski could have charitably been described as a weapon. While his chief nemesis was Busch’s Sprint Cup teammate, Denny Hamlin, it seemed that Keselowski raced without much regard for who he ran into and where they – and the cars behind them - ended up.

Exhibit A, perhaps, would be the Kroger 250, held at Memphis Motorsports Park – an event Keselowski won after creating no fewer than three accidents with what could arguably be called over-the-top aggressiveness, three-quarters of a mile short track or not.

The prosecution’s star witness could be Hamlin or any number of drivers, but a DA would more likely opt for the fabricators for the many Nationwide teams impacted by Keselowski’s rough riding.

The fabricators for the #88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet that Keselowski had driven would have little defense at all, however, save for a crinkled rear bumper cover sustained at the Homestead-Miami Speedway when Hamlin perfectly played the role of a vigilante crusader right down to the black suit. As Hamlin put it, one would have thought that he, not Busch, had won the Ford 300.

One victim of the Memphis carnage was Carl Edwards, up to this weekend the man who had taken center stage in the the second act of the Brad Keselowski Saga.

Keselowski’s #12 Dodge flying through the air at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, courtesy of Edwards, even made World News Tonight, with Diane Sawyer questioning whether Carl had gone too far. A last-lap clash between the two left fans fuming and Bob Keselowski, Brad’s father and a former racer himself, threatening to take care of Edwards himself.

And yet, one has to consider that the only person who created this situation for Brad Keselowski is Brad Keselowski.

Sure, he can make his martyr-like claims that he will not be pushed around, fenders and fellow competitors be damned, an attitude that served him well in the short term.

However, the long-term side effects of such an attitude and the actions that accompany them will far outweigh any satisfaction Keselowski gained from his Memphis victory, positions he collected with his front-bumper, and the puffed-out chest bravado with which he declared that he was Brad By-God Keselowski and no one was going to cow him.

And as long as he performs as he has thus far on the Sprint Cup side in 2010, where he has been little more than an afterthought since the Atlanta accident, it is unlikely that he will be taken as much more than a big-mouthed kid who’s talent isn’t as fast as his tongue.

There is something to admire about Keselowski’s style, but that “me against the world” mantra grows tired quickly, especially when you haven’t collected a top ten in the big show all season. His 2009 Cup performance, in which he won at Talladega and scored three other top-ten finishes, was left in 2009.

What wasn’t left there was the feelings he created over the course of the final three months of that season, and further proof of that was served on Friday night. One can argue that Kyle Busch might have dumped anyone in that situation, but it also bears consideration that when Busch felt the contact to his rear bumper and glanced off the backstretch wall, the fact that it was Keselowski on the other end played a role in his decision to retaliate.

Besides, had Busch really wanted to crash Keselowski, he had plenty of opportunities as they raced side by side for several laps prior.

To decry that Busch unfairly used Keselowski’s probation against him is baseless. Keselowski’s past over-aggression led him to his current situation, and rather than crying that he is being taken advantage of, his partisans should instead be thankful that a sticker declaring “Open Season” hasn’t been placed onto his race cars and uniforms.

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Thuder Valley.

The very name of Bristol Motor Speedway is reminiscent of danger, excitement and drama. The finishes are some of NASCAR’s most used highlights and the winners go on to become the sport’s most prominent champions.

Wallace, Earnhardt, Gordon and Busch have all tamed Bristol and followed it up with Cup Series Championships. Who joins them on the winner’s list of NASCAR’s hardest ticket?

Find out after the jump!

Bristol was resurfaced between races in 2007 and hasn’t been the same since. Since the renovations, Bristol has become a follow-the-leader affair in the same vein of Texas and Charlotte. But at Bristol, that leader has typically been Kurt Busch.

The elder Busch has absolutely dominated Bristol. Since 2001, Kurt has compiled five wins, six top fives and an average finish of 13.2. His driver rating of 96.1 is the fifth best in the series and a win tonight could have him join Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick as A+ Championship contenders.

Speaking of Harvick, the points leader is coming off a win at Michigan and is now officially locked in the Chase. Harvick could miss the next three races and still start the Chase for the Championship as low as fifth.

Expect Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon to battle for the top ten with pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson (94.5 driver rating) the unlikely dark horse. The official pick of this writer is the streaky Greg Biffle who is the owner of a 101.2 driver rating in the Bristol soup bowl

Pre-race coverage was provided by ESPN Countdown and SPEED Raceday. Live prerace coverage has already begun on ABC. Green flag is set for 7:15 with Marty Reid, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree providing the call.

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That’s right folks, it’s time for the king of Short Tracks, the Birthplace of Feuds, the Crucible of motorsports: Bristol Motor Speedway.  Bristol is by far my favorite short track.  Every state has a short track like Bristol, but you never see anything near the quality of racing that you do at Bristol.  If last night’s Truck Race is any indication, we are in for a wild ride.  Kyle Busch is looking to go 2 for 2 this weekend, and if he clears this one, he’ll try to go 3 for 3 Saturday night.  The other two guys who are triple duty this week didn’t fare so well last night.  Elliott Sadler wrecked twice, Brad Keselowski spun and had a hard fight back into the top 10.  This is the last season that we will see the old Nationwide Cars, so let’s give the last generation a wild sendoff.

Entry List and more after the JUMP!

That’s a lot of cars so that means  9 Cars will miss the race.  Let’s look at  some interesting details about the entry list:

Brad Teague will return to action this week driving a JD Motorsports Chevy.

Ryan Newman is back again.  He’s gonna be one to look out for in this race.

Jason Leffler moves to the #10 Toyota this week. As Kasey Kahne is in his #38 Toyota.

Clint Bowyer returns to the #21 this week, which means that Morgan Shepherd will have to qualify on time.

Danny O’Quinn will drive the #27 this week.  The team claims it will attempt to run the entire race.

Triple Duty Elliott Sadler will drive Kevin Harvick’s #33 Chevy.  Harvick is ready to focus on winning in the cup series now that he is locked into the chase.

Jeff Green enters a third TriStar Chevy this week.

Sean Caisse will pilot the Go Green #39 Ford this week. 

Parker Kligerman returns to action this week.

Drew Herring will make his second attempt in the #43 Ford

J.J. Yeley will drive the #61 this week – this could be a start and park team this week.

Johnny Chapman will drive the #75 this week.

Ryan Hackett will attempt to move his struggling Truck team up to Nationwide this week.

and finally, Dale Earnhardt Jr returns to action this week.  He announced that Aric Almirola will drive the #88 next year full time.  Almirola could hop in the car later this year.

The Nationwide Series schedule was released.  Next year will consist of 34 races, all featuring the new car.
Iowa Speedway, which joined the schedule in 2009, receives a second date in 2011 and a new date has been added at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday, June 4.  Last season’s successful inaugural event at the Road America road course in Wisconsin returns in 2011 on Saturday June, 25, the weekend before the Friday July, 1 race at Daytona International Speedway.  A previous stand-alone event at Kentucky Speedway now will be part of the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup/NASCAR Nationwide Series weekend on Friday July, 8.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series will be paired with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on three weekends, at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday April, 23 and Saturday July, 23 and at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis on Saturday July, 30.  Thanks Jayski!

You are really gonna want to watch this race tomorrow night.  If your gonna set your DVR to record, make sure you set it past the end of this race.  Otherwise you may miss the end.  Tune in Friday Night at 7:30pm to ESPN to catch the Food City 250 from Bristol, TN.  Enjoy!

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With the addition of Kentucky Speedway to the 2011 NASCAR schedule, Kentucky is once has a presence in the NASCAR Cup Series. The last time that NASCAR held a Cup race in Kentucky, it was 1954. 

I don’t have much to say about another 1.5 D shaped track being added to NASCAR. The racing here seems like it will be lots of fun, but the track was built in 2000. So how about we take a peek at the last time NASCAR wandered through the Bluegrass State.  1954 had some interesting developments in NASCAR both on and off the track. The Pure Oil, Co. manufactured and sold a new tire specifically for stock car racing. Until then, drivers were using the same tires that were used on every day cars. Safety measures were being made, even in the earliest years of NASCAR.

1954 also saw the introduction of specialized helmets which were designed specifically to protect the drivers from concussive forces. Along with safety measures designed to protect drivers from impact injuries, a fire-proof overall was introduced and became a common feature in the garages. While the safety features of stock cars in the 1950s may seem laughable when compared to the high tech modern safety developments, the very fact that NASCAR, as a sport, was influencing safety design and innovation is extraordinarily impressive. 

Even this early on in American popular culture, NASCAR had a television presence. In 1952, 1.4 Million Americans had a television set. (That information is sourced from Wikipedia. That number may or may not be correct, but it is probably close) Even in this early market, stock car racing had a foothold. Three television programs featured stock car racing. New York City broadcast a show called Wire Wheels, Desert Dirt featured racing news and aired out of Phoenix, Arizona, and Autorama broadcast out of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Perhaps these are not the television markets that one would expect to feature stock car racing news, but I think that it speaks to the nationwide interest and growing national presence of NASCAR.

What of the race tracks? Similar to Kentucky Speedway, the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway was designed and built specifically to host stock car races. Active from 1954 until 1957, the track just outside of Lehi, Arkansas was a high banked, fast, and dangerous one and a half mile dirt track. The high price of building the track forced the opening race to be pushed back to the fall of 1954. The track also faced the same problem that many of the dirt tracks of the time had, dust control. Clouds of dust were so intense that often the track became completely obscured and the race needed to be slowed down. Memphis-Arkansas Speedway, delayed in opening was also closed due to a construction troubles. A promised highway near to the track would have created a much easier access point to the track, but it was never built. In the end, the cost of paving the track was too great and the track was shuttered after only five NASCAR races.

1.5 miles? Sure. D-Shaped? Yup. Cookie cutter? Why, the answer to the that is a pretty firm “heck no!” The banking of the dirt track was high, especially for a dirt track.  The track also had a feature that adds to the romanticism of Darlington, but proved deadly for Memphis-Arkansas. The track had ponds both outside of the track and in the infield. While drivers like Lee Petty went over the banking and into the pond during the races, Clint McHugh lost his life in a crash into one of the lakes.

There are many tracks like this in the history of NASCAR, stop overs, one-shots, tracks that were meant to be glorious and instead spend a few seasons with the sport before they are left behind. It is indeed an interesting sport, always going somewhere new, not always for the better, but always trying to find ways to expand the sport. 

Best wishes to the folks at Kentucky Speedway. And NASCAR, thank you so much for not dropping one of the dates from Martinsville. This column would have been very different this week if that had happened.

Field Trip! Let’s go visit Memphis-Arkansas Speedway, shall we? Click here for quick trip down the 40!

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Brad Keselowski wanted nothing more than to win at his hometrack, Michigan.  He got that wish in dominating fashion.  Keso led 89 of 125 laps to take the CarFax 250 and is well on his way to his first Nascar championship, which could be also be his last in the Nationwide Series.  It’s been discussed within Nascar about limiting the number of races that full time Cup drivers can race in the Nationwide series.  So Brad may be the last double duty champion ever.  He’s also the worst. 

Brad’s Cup career is off to a very shaky start.  In 22 races Keso has 4 DNFs, only 32 laps led, and a best finish of 12th (twice).  It’s not a terrible start, but it is a pretty big chasm between Brad’s Cup finishes and his Nationwide finishes.  Next year will be the biggest chance for Keso to succeed, as he will take over for Kurt Busch in the famous blue deuce.  If Keso can’t perform in the# 2 Dodge, I think he could be on his way out of Penske Racing.  With that being said, I may be too quick to call Keso a Cup Bust after all the #12 team ran bad last year with David Stremme, and running both Cup and Nationwide does take it’s toll on a driver.  Time will tell.

I am contractually obligated to discuss Danica Patrick, the world’s most famous 4 laps down driver.  Patrick continued her streak of 6 straight starts of failing to finish on the lead lap.  This was a level playing field for her, since everyone was driving the COT.  Patrick still hasn’t been able to master the handleing on a Nationwide Car, nor has she been able to communicate what the car needs to be better.  I feel like, if Patrick was running full time, that we would have seen some improvement by now.  At least more improvement then we have seen. 

I want to see more female drivers in Nascar but, is it just me, or does it seem like to you that women need to be pretty or they do not get a chance to run with competitive teams?  If so then that’s not right because there are a whole lotta real ugly male drivers who day in and day out get their chance at victory lane – not that I’m looking mind you (or that there’s anything wrong with that).  I better stop now because I’m opening up a whole big can of worms here.

Results and more after the JUMP!

It was interesting to see Joe Gibbs Racing struggle so much in the COT.  Well, struggle by thier standards.  Neither Busch nor Logano led a lap.  It was the first Nationwide Race in which Kyle didn’t lead at least on lap since Phoenix of last year, which was the second to last race of the year.  It was the third time this year that Logano hasn’t led a lap.

Nothing changed in the fight for the top 30:

Robert Richardson pancaked the wall hard and had to be taken to a local hospital.  He was released this morning – everything looked fine.

Next week we go under the lights of Bristol.  Bristol is one of my favorite tracks.  It’s short track racing at it’s finest.  You can expect to see some tempers flare.  It could possibly be the return of Edwards vs. Keselowski or is that Keselowski vs Edwards?  Tune in at 730pm to ESPN on Friday, August 20th for the Food City 250 from Bristol, TN.  Enjoy!

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Harvick Wins at Michigan

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